8:00 · Arrive and settle
A soft landing
Children put away their things, find a teacher, and choose what comes next: a puzzle with a friend, play dough at the table, or one more hug at the window.
Ages 2–5 · Fort Collins, Colorado
Small classes. Big puddles. Good days.
At Puddlejump, childhood gets room to unfold. Children build confidence through play, friendships, muddy-kneed discovery, and teachers who know when to join in and when to let an idea grow.
Play-based learning · Kind, experienced teachers · Two-acre outdoor classroom
Hello, curious people
A school for children who learn with their whole selves.
Little children are scientists, storytellers, builders, comedians, and careful observers. Our job is to give them time, inviting materials, meaningful routines, and a community where they feel safe enough to try something new.
Our programs
The right-sized adventure for every age
Each classroom follows the same warm, play-based approach, with rhythms and expectations that grow with the children.
Ages 2–3
Acorn Room
Two, three, or five mornings
Meet the AcornsA gentle first school experience with sensory play, songs, stories, outdoor wandering, and plenty of help naming big feelings.
Ages 3–4
Meadow Room
Three or five full days
Meet the MeadowsBusy makers practice friendship, stretch their language, invent dramatic worlds, and chase questions that begin with “what if?”
Ages 4–5
WaitlistFirefly Room
Five full days
Meet the FirefliesOlder preschoolers take on longer projects, joyful early literacy and math, group problem-solving, and the independence kindergarten asks for.
Part of every week
- Garden
- Music
- Cooking
- Mud kitchen
- Story workshop
- Neighborhood walks
A day at Puddlejump
A steady rhythm with room for surprises
Predictable routines help children feel secure. Long stretches of play give their ideas somewhere to go.
9:00 · Explore and investigate
The long, wonderful middle
Classrooms, studios, and outdoor spaces open for projects and play. Teachers observe, offer materials, ask useful questions, and help children work through the social knots of being together.
12:00 · Gather and restore
Food, stories, rest, reset
Lunch is unhurried and social. After a story, younger children nap while older children rest with books, drawing, and quiet choices.
3:00 · Head back outside
Fresh air before home
The day winds down in the garden and play yard, with climbing, digging, wheeling, and a teacher ready to share one real moment from your child’s day.
Small on purpose
- maximum teacher-to-child ratio
- 1:7
- children in a classroom
- 14
- of gardens, paths, and play
- 2 acres
- average lead-teacher experience
- 15+ yrs
A peek inside
Muddy boots welcome
Rain or shine, we head outside every day. Spare clothes are the most important thing on our supply list.
Notes from the cubbies
What families notice
My child is known here, not just managed. His teachers understand the tiny details that help him feel brave enough to join in.
Jamie R.Firefly parent · fictional testimonialPuddlejump made our first school goodbye feel possible. Now she packs her own snack and asks if today is a school day.
Priya S.Acorn parent · fictional testimonialThe teachers send home stories about who our daughter is becoming, not a checklist of what she did.
Theo M.Meadow parent · fictional testimonial
The best way to understand Puddlejump is to wander through it.
Tuesday morning tours take about 35 minutes. Little ones are welcome to come along.
